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will also be introduced in Homa Bay, Kenya. The local organisationwill be the one that has to manufacture the filteringdevice and introduce it.In Bangladesh, the Proshika foundation trains and guides thetechnicians itself, but the situation in Kenya is different. "Theseare remote villages in the countryside, that simply do not havethe same workshops as in Bangladesh", says Alex Vrinzen atDSM. "That is why we looked at local materials." When theteam visited Kenya in 2003, they also went to a pottery, anddecided that the local population would be able to make filtersthere. The women’s organisation LABALU is responsible for theuse, the maintenance and the distribution of the filters. Theorganisation will also have to train local people, so that theycan maintain the large filter systems.The DSM project and the Dream Action come to an end in2004, but Alex Vrinzen sees plenty of possibilities to continuethe project. Mariet Huijts also considers the water project inKenya as ongoing. "I have been really busy telling peopleabout the project for the women of LABALU. Everyone is veryenthusiastic, and my talks and slide presentations make themrealise that not everyone is as fortunate as we are. I considerdevelopment cooperation as a true enrichment."■Campesino aCampesinoThe farmer’s practice is decisiveThe right equipment forthe fieldDo not arrange things for the farmer, but let the farmer decide what’s best. This starting pointguarantees results that actually work in practice. Campesino a Campesino ("From farmer to farmer") is aninformation programme that was developed by farmers in Central America and Mexico.Marijntje de Jong talks about her experiences in Agriterra’s thesis programmeMarijntje de Jong graduated from LarensteinInternational Agricultural College in November 2003.Her main subject was Tropical Agriculture and hergraduation profile was Tropical Agricultural Regioninteresting thesis subject, and I was very enthusiastic when Ifound out about the project. My previous experience in Ecuadorand my knowledge of the language and culture also convincedFEPTCE, Agriterra and Larenstein.development. When she was asked to choose a thesissubject, she decided to develop indicators for thecertification of rural tourism in Ecuador - the Ecuadorianversion of ‘camping on the farm’. Marijntje completedher thesis in the framework of Agriterra’s thesisprogramme.I believe that Agriterra’s thesis programme is a valuable initiative.It closes the gap between enthusiastic students who often find itdifficult to approach organisations, and rural organisations indeveloping countries who offer plenty of possibilities. I enjoyedthe fact that, by participating in the programme, I was guidedby Agriterra, and that the responsibilities were clearly put in‘I spent a total of three months in Ecuador. I conducted myresearch on behalf of FEPTCE, the national umbrella organisationfor rural tourism initiatives in Ecuador.One of the initiators for the creation of theorganisation is Runa Tupari, the successfulrural tourism initiative in the NorthernAndes area that was developed by thefarmers’ organisation UNORCAC, with thesupport of Agriterra.Through Runa Tupari, FEPTCE’s request ended up at Agriterra.At the time, I was working as a volunteer for Agriterra, and theywriting. The reward I got afterwards, thanks to a positiveevaluation, was the reimbursement of my plane ticket. Thatmeant a lot to me, because it showed appreciation for what Ihad done. I feel that a thesis is all about carrying out anassignment in practice, from a professional organisation. Itmarks the transition from a student to a professional. Once Ihad graduated, FEPTCE offered me to come and work for them,and apply the indicators that I had developed in some sort ofcertifying system. If all goes well, I will soon be working inEcuador! My thesis, through Agriterra, provided me with theright equipment to go and work in the field as a professionalhad just launched their thesis programme. I was looking for an (not only on paper, but I also feel like one)."■The farmers who act as pioneers, the so-called "promotores",conduct research in order to solve problems that they, and theother participants in the programme, are facing. The participantsregularly visit the promoter’s farm. They discuss the experiments’progress and results, the obtained knowledge is shared and newideas for research arise. That process is similar to what happens inthe "study clubs" in the Netherlands. The different promotoreswithin one region stay in touch and form a network, which inturn ensures the exchange of ideas between regions.The agricultural organisations provide technical and organisationalsupport, and they provide the links for international contacts(Enlace Sur-Sur).Agriterra supports Campesino a Campesino (CaC) in severalways. It encourages the (international) distribution of the methodand takes care of the exchange of knowledge. It also providesfinancial support. Strategic partnerships between farmers’organisations and research institutes are forged, to make surethat the institutes look into the problems that farmers face.And let’s not forget that courses can strengthen the farmers’organisations’ contribution to the research agenda.Within Latin America, CaC experiences are being exchanged,e.g. between Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. As a result,Ecuador has also started a Campesino a Campesino programme.Ten communities have been selected and 50 promotores havebeen trained, which means there is an average of 5 promotoresper community.But the method is spread even more widely. In 2001, Agriterraorganised a mission for African farmers’ organisations and GLTO(the Dutch Regional Agricultural and Horticultural Organi- >>4041
sation) to Nicaragua. The participants were enthusiastic aboutthis successful information method. In the meantime, the Kenyanagricultural organisation KENFAP has already started a CaC pilotinformation programmein four districts indifferent parts ofthe country. The programmeis aimed at 40schools, and promoters from the districts’ information teams havebeen trained in the CaC method.Agriculture in the Netherlands owes part of its success to theclose link between agricultural research, information, training andpractice. This link between research and the farmers in developingcountries is very weak, and sometimes even non-existent. Iffarmers had more influence, especially on the research agenda,that would strongly benefit the contribution of solutions to theCaC process. In order to obtain that result, farmers and theirorganisations need to be full partners in drawing up that agenda,and they should therefore be trained together with otherinterested parties, such as governments and research institutes. Tothat end, Agriterra and ICRA (International Centre for developmentoriented Research in Agriculture) have developed a proposal.ICRA is an international organisation in Wageningen/Montpellierthat trains people to provide sustainable solutions to problems inthe field of rural development. Representatives of two Rwandanfarmer’s organisations(IMBARGA and FOR)took a course inMontpellier. The goalof that course was todraft a research agenda that was based on the farmers’ viewsand problems, in coordination with the Rwandan research institute(ISAR). The participating farmers indicated that they wanted tofind ways to improve the production chain of potatoes - from theselection of slips to the sale of the product. In consultation withthe research institute, their question was then divided into smallerquestions and research programmes. The farmers’ problemsare the basis of the research agenda, and the results should bedirectly applicable in practice. If the research programme has tobe adjusted, the farmers set the course. The researchers are notguided by what is technically feasible or desirable, but by what isdesirable according to the farmers’ practice.‘Campesino a Campesino:from farmer to farmer.’Meanwhile, Agriterra continues to encourage the Campesino aCampesino approach.■Sharing your knowledge and yourknow-how, that is what mattersAn interview with Toon Bierings"I find that the cooperative societyis an extraordinary invention, almost asindispensable as electricity or the telephone,because it gives people in the Third Worldthe opportunity to obtain financial means.All you need, is land, sowing seed and tools.And most importantly: good people".If anyone has to advocate the cooperative spirit, then it wouldhave to be drs. A.J. (Toon) Bierings, a retired bank director fromBrabant and co-founder of Agriterra. He was born in Geldrop,into a catholic agricultural family that goes back to 1530.That is where he learned the importance of cooperating. ToonBierings (77): "My father was an excellent networker, althoughthat word did not exist at the time. He had good contacts withthe mayor, the priest and the director of the textile factory. Wehad a mixed farm, and everyone worked really hard. When Iwas young, I saw how difficult it was for farmers to get credit.The farmers’ loan banks at the time were merely tolerated, andthat is what is happening in the Third World today".Bierings graduated as a corporate economist in Tilburg in 1955and he went to work for the Farmers’ Loan Bank, where he wassoon promoted to district director. "The bank really wanted torecruit me", he says, "because I come from a farmers family andI do not put myself above people, like those country gentlemen.At the time, I was already going out with my future wife, Gerda,and her family wholeheartedly supported the cooperative bank.As a farmer, you are stronger if you unite, if you buy products asa group and if you introduce credit facilities. The motto in thosedays was: with each other for one another".In the course of his career, Mr Bierings travelled all over theworld. In 1970, he founded the Agricultural Bank in Suriname,and he went on World Bank missions to countries such asHonduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua. In the latter country,the nineties brought the revolution of the Sandinistas, whoconsidered agriculture as the basis of their economy. The PauloFreire Foundation in the Netherlands supported the poor farmersof Nicaragua and tried to teach the Dutch students in agriculturalsecondary school the notion of international solidarity. KeesBlokland, now the director of Agriterra, but at the time amember of the Paulo FreireFoundation, asked Mr Bieringswhether he wanted to become thepresident of the foundation. ToonBierings: "I thought, what am I goingto do in such a a goat’s wool socksclub? Of course I was willing to help,but I am not a missionary. I just devote my talents to other people,but not out of solidarity or charity. Those are just fancy words.If the World Bank sends you out on a mission, they refer to it astechnical assistance, which I find a much better name".In 1998, Agriterra was founded as the natural successor to >>4243
Page 1 and 2: PrefaceAgnes van ArdenneYou are loo
Page 3 and 4: 5 years of Agriterra‘A Matter of
Page 5 and 6: KENFAP, which is apolitical and non
Page 7 and 8: organisations in their dealings wit
Page 9 and 10: ogramme CouncilNicaragua>> agreemen
Page 11 and 12: FinBaseGood financial management is
Page 13 and 14: In 2001, Agriterra started emergenc
Page 15 and 16: Process withinAgriterraAgriterra’
Page 17 and 18: Developments inArnhemArnhem is the
Page 19: Horse sense wanted!Despite the slum
Page 23 and 24: The scenery is magnificent, the cul
Page 25: AgriCord Cooperation betweAgricultu

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